Slide-Lecture on Melville Garden to be Presented at Hingham Library

On Thursday, Sep. 29, Irene Kane, a resident of Hingham’s Crow Point neighborhood, will present a free slide lecture at the on the 19th century recreational destination Melville Garden. The presentation will be held in the library’s Whiton Meeting Room from 7- 8:30 p.m..

Between 1871 and 1896, Bostonians donned their best attire, stepped aboard steamships at Boston Harbor, and made their way to Melville Garden in Hingham for a day and evening of fun and laughter. After disembarking at Downer Landing, the current site of the Hingham Yacht Club, they could choose from bowling, dancing, fine dining, fireworks and more. They could marvel at the newfangled arc lights, the first place in Hingham to be electrified. Seventy thousand people visited Melville Garden during the summer of 1877 with 12 steamers landing daily. 

Samuel Downer, a Dorchester native and a leading industrialist of the day, made his fortune first by manufacturing kerosene and then by investing in oil fields, predicting correctly a new energy source to come. He bought 40 acres of land on Crow Point in 1854 with the intention of constructing a refinery. However, his strong interest in social justice led him, instead, to create a gathering place or “garden” for the enjoyment of people from all walks of life. 

After the sudden death of Downer’s son-in-law James Scudder in 1896, Melville Garden closed in1897 and its magnificent buildings were torn down. Irene Kane’s slide show will give attendees the opportunity to “time-travel” to a colorful era in Hingham’s history and to learn about Samuel Downer’s vision for Crow Point.